Elementary – The Sherlock Holmes Canon

Holmes (obviously with the wrong head gear!) near ACD’s birth place in Edinburgh

“Elementary,” said he. “It is one of those instances where the reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to his neighbor, because the latter has missed the one little point which is the basis of the deduction.

These are the very words that for me are the foundation of all great mystery stories – and for me they start with Sherlock Holmes. I have read Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue (which Arthur Conan Doyle actually mentions in Holmes’ first outing A Study in Scarlet!), but neither managed to capture my imagination and admiration as much as the Sherlock Holmes stories.

It is only just, therefore, that I dedicate a reading project to the famous consulting detective and his faithful friend Dr. Watson.

And what could be better than starting this project off with a buddy read with my friend over at KnightofAngels.com, a true Sherlockian and awesome blogger and apparently she has completely forgotten about my exasperating rants that accompanied our James Bond buddy read. (Shhh!)

Seriously, tho, I am honoured and excited to embark on this new reading adventure that will see us re-examine another shared favourite: Holmes, the man, the mystery, the myth.

For this little project, I will be listening to Stephen Fry’s narration of The Definitive Audio Collection and read The Complete Sherlock Holmes: with an introduction from Robert Ryan (Simon & Schuster UK. Kindle Edition.)

Obviously, I am neither a historian nor a true Sherlockian, so anything I have written in connection with this reading project is purely based on my own impressions from ACD’s stories. This is not meant to be an exhaustive source of information on all things Holmes (there are actual societies dedicated to that – google them!), this is just a fan’s reading journal.